Dairy order indicator



Jan. 31, 1956 L. J. THOMPSON DAIRY ORDER INDICATOR Filed Jan. 8, 1954 FU :v3.2 u-uzoz F0 1:2 ...mmmm

INVENTOR. OU/J J`. THOMPSON United States Patent O DAIRY ORDER INDICATOR Louis Jack Thompson, Shelbyville, Tenn.

Application January 8, 1954, Serial No. 402,999

4 Claims. (Cl. 116-133) The present invention relates to a device by means of which customers of milkmen may indicate their future orders and which may be adapted for general use for the 4 ordering of any merchandise which is delivered to the home.

The dairy industry in particular has need for a device which will eliminate the 'nuisance of penciled notes of many descriptions which have long plagued its employees, whose deliveries are generally early in the morning, or at such times as it is inconvenient for the customer to order his purchases verbally. Many devices are on the market and available to the industry and to their customers, but many fail to accomplish their purpose by being intricate and complex. Other devices are of such construction that they are too easily displaced from their location, or are insecurely attached to the empty bottle so that they are lost or disarranged to a degree that ineiectuates their purpose.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a device by means of which a customer may order his dairy products from the milkman, such device being of light weight and inexpensive construction, but one of relatively long durability and legibility.

Another main object of the present invention is to provide a dairy order indicator which may be placed snugly on the neck of an empty bottle for the attention of the milkman.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which may be changed to indicate any desired quantity of a number of different dairy products without tools, or without the use of a pencil or pen.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a dairy products indicator which is easily read and one in which its changeable numbers and indicators are not readily moved in normal handling of the indicator by the customer or the milkman.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a device which with little modification may be used by salesmen for other goods, and which with little modiication can be supported on containers other than milk bottles.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent upon consideration of the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawing, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view in elevation of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the present invention; and

Figure 3 is a side view in section taken on line 3-3 of Figure l.

Referring to the drawing in more particular, the present invention consists of a box or cylindrical portion forming a base which lits snugly over the mouth end of the milk bottle 11 as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3, and an rupstanding sheet or flat portion 12 secured at its lower ice end 13 to the cylindrical portion 10 by rivets 14, although any suitable method of attachment is equally eiective.

On the upper end 15 of the sheet portion 12, which is preferably circular in outline, a plurality of discs 16 are mounted on the same face of the sheet portion 12 which faces the cylindrical portion 10, each disc being mounted snugly by a rivet 17 so that they may be rotated with a minimum of effort.

Indcia on the discs 16 refers to the quantity of the products it is desired to order, in pints, quarts, or other marketing amounts, and on the same face of the sheet portion 12 is other indicia for the products themselves, each one being associated with one of the discs and having a line ending with an arrowhead which indicates the quantity being ordered. A lesser or greater quantity is ordered, as is obvious, by turning the proper disc to the desired ligure. The present invention may be used for other products and the cylindrical portion may be of different shape such as a square box or a longer cylinder and the upstanding sheet portion may be fastened at its other end or even on the closed end of the cylindrical portion. As here illustrated the device is attention-getting, attractive and generally useful in the dairy and other industries of a like nature.

Although a single embodiment has been here described and illustrated it is contemplated that many changes and modications may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as set forth inthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an order indicator, an elongated vertical plateV having upper and lower ends, a plurality of vertical laterally spaced lines leading upwardly on one face of said plate from the region of the lower end of the plate, said lines having upper ends terminating in arrowheads, and a rotatable disc mounted on the said one face of the plate in the region of the upper end of the plate in line with each of said arrowheads, said discs having circumferentially spaced indicia.

2. In an order indicator, an elongated vertical plate having upper and lower ends, a plurality of vertical laterally spaced lines leading upwardly on one face of said plate from the region of the lower end of the plate, said lines having upper ends terminating in arrowheads, and a rotatable disc mounted on the said one face of the plate in the region of the upper end of the plate in line with each of said arrowheads, said discs having circumferentially spaced indicia thereon, and a bottle mouth engaging cap secured to and projecting from the other face of the plate in the region of the lower end of the plate.

3. In an order indicator, an elongated vertical plate having upper and lower ends, a plurality of vertical laterally spaced lines leading upwardly on one face of said plate from the region of the lower end of the plate, said lines having upper ends terminating in arrowheads, and a rotatable disc mounted on the said one face of the plate in the region of the upper end of the plate in line with each of said arrowheads, said discs having circumferentially spaced indicia thereon, and a bottle mouth engaging cap secured to and projecting from the other face of the plate in the region of the lower end of the plate, said plate being wider than said cap.

4. In an order indicator, an elongated vertical plate having upper and lower ends, a plurality of vertical laterally spaced lines leading upwardly on one face of said plate from the region of the lower end of the plate, said lines having upper ends terminating in arrowheads, and a rotatable disc mounted on the said one side of the plate in the region of the upper end of the plate in line with 3 each of said., arrowheads and a bottle mouth engaging cap secured to and projecting from the other face of the plate in the region of the lower end of the plate, said plate being Wider than said cap, said discs having circumferentially spaced indicia'thereon, and said one face of the plate having vertical lines of intelligence alongside of and in identifying' relation tol said vertical lines.

References Cited in the le of this, patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Chapman Feb. 9, Royer et al. July 17, Hausner Mar. 1, Trask Oct. 16, Youngberg June 17, Amery Nov. 4, 

